Staff Report

MIAMI – OneUnited Bank – the largest black-owned bank in America – will go live on its Facebook page from its Miami branch in a nationwide broadcast to answer questions about the Bank Black Movement sweeping across Black America, Thursday, January 12 at 7 p.m.

This interactive social media event will feature Teri Williams, President and Chief Operating Officer of OneUnited Bank and Trabian Shorters, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of BMe Community. Questions will be answered in real time on the page, which has close to 100,000 followers.

For Black America, summer 2016 brought about a tangible shift in understanding the power of its $1.2 trillion in spending power. Millions were able to “move their minds” through the phenomenon of the Bank Black Movement, answering the call for a collective show of economic force, by moving money from traditional banks to Black-owned banks.

During that time, millions of dollars were moved to black-owned banks, resulting in more loans and jobs for the black community. OneUnited Bank saw $20 million in deposits, generated $130 million in loans, doubled its social media numbers and increased its national staff by 10% to keep up with the explosion of interest it experienced. “The Bank Black and Buy Black movements are an outgrowth of the Black Lives Matter movement, which has increased awareness of the importance of supporting the black community. OneUnited is using social media to tell inspiring stories, answer questions, teach financial literacy and help everyone appreciate the power of our dollars,” Williams said.

Both BMe and OneUnited Bank place a strong emphasis on the importance of strengthening the black community through initiatives that focus on economics, community development, entrepreneurship and technology. In August 2016, BMe solidified its commitment to collective economics with the re-direction of one million dollars in deposits to OneUnited Bank and a partnership was born.

“BMe Community has partnered with One- United Bank because we want you to have the know-how and networks for building wealth,” said Shorters.

Recently rated one of the top 25 community banks in America for its social media presence, OneUnited Bank is committed to remaining on the forefront of the digital banking age by providing multiple platforms to engage and interact with their customers in local communities and online.

The Facebook Live event is the first of a series of digital forums designed to give online consumers the opportunity to personally interact with OneUnited Bank and the Bank Black Movement. Use the hashtag #BankBlack.